A couple of months ago, I posted a formula for success that the best teams and athletes use on a consistent basis in all areas of their competitive careers: Success = Optimism * (Persistence + Resilience) Recently, it occurred to me that we’ve seen some great examples of this in both the NHL and NBA […]
read moreSeveral weeks ago, I was playing in a league tennis match and was paired against a player who has a reputation for on-court shenanigans and creating controversy. When I realized who I was playing, I had a decision to make. What should my approach to this player be? Conventional wisdom tells us to be on-guard […]
read moreHave you ever watched a game in which the team that was leading stopped playing to win in favor of protecting their lead? And what often happens in this situation? The team that is just protecting the lead ends up losing it. In football, we see this phenomenon with the “prevent” defense. In hockey and […]
read moreIt’s amazing what a little encouragement can do for a competitor. I was standing in the locker room talking to a fellow player after a grueling match in the National 45 and over Clay Court Tennis Championships in Ft. Lauderdale last week. My body was exhausted. My shoulder was screaming in pain. And my next […]
read moreWant a quick pick-me-up while you’re competing? Pay attention to your body language and make sure it’s positive, strong, confident, determined and shows that you’re willing to fight. The connection between our minds and bodies is very strong, and negative behavior in one area almost always results in negativity in the other. The good news […]
read moreI’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. – Michael Jordan This quote from Michael Jordan is familiar to most and […]
read moreIn sports, we hear phrases such as “one point at at time” or “one play at a time” so often that they become cliches and lose their meaning. That’s unfortunate because the underlying message is valuable – focus for a short period of time, reset, and then focus for a short period of time again. […]
read moreDuring the Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions football game on Thanksgiving Day, there was a controversial touchdown awarded to the Texans’ Justin Forsett after an 81 yard run. Forsett’s elbow and knee appeared to be down on the play, but the officials never whistled the play dead, and to his credit, Forsett kept running. In […]
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